Roséanne meets Park Jimin exactly a week later after her conversation with her dad, at another charity gala hosted by his family.
She didn't exactly think it through--on how she was going to break the news to him. She didn't concoct a plan days before, so now she's stuck here in front of an abstract painting, playing with the glass of champagne in her hand.
Roséanne knows that he's already here--she saw him entering an hour ago with Kim Taehyung, Jisoo's boyfriend and a well-known actor. Initially, she thought about approaching him and telling him right then and there, but then it'd be suspicious. So she took her ass to the gallery and entertained herself (really, what was entertaining about this entire thing?) with the various forms of art.
This whole set up was bonkers, if she's honest. She hated him, he hated her. Put them in one room together, the room would burn. What more if they partner up for several days to plan the event? She'd always known that her dad wants her and that guy to be friends again, but not to the point that her dad actually grew furious over it.
("Chaeng, you're in your early twenties already. You should know better," he had said, exasperated.)
Apparently, the recent dinner was the last straw (she admires his patience, truly) and now he wants her to make up with him again.
("Pretend that you're strangers, introduce yourself to him," he encouraged. Yeah, whatever, she muttered, because she had no guts to tell her dad that she wasn't naive anymore.)
"Is this piece of art so interesting that you've been staring at it for the past fifteen minutes?"
She breaks out of her little train of thoughts and turns back, seeing Jimin standing there with a small smirk.
Immediately, she answers back.
"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't be here," she doesn't have any insults in her mind today because of the recent events, so she came empty handed. "How about you?"
Jimin raises one of his brows, possibly surprised that she didn't call him an ass head or stupid motherfucker. Content, he replies. "Just escaped from my dad and all those people. It was getting too hot in there."
"I see."
Silence slips in between them. Roséanne sees that Jimin isn't making any move to leave, so she takes a deep breath and pops the first question.
"Do you know?" she starts in a low voice. It's a stupid start, but she'll get to the point.
He seems confused. "Know about?"
'Your dad's birthday party."
"Ah," he says in realization. "Yeah, I do. So, you and me, huh?"
She gives him a look of disgust as he wriggles his brows at her suggestively. "Only this time, you ass. If we're going to work together for your dad's birthday, we have to make it work."
"Oooh, that's tough."
"I know."
"How will we do this?"
Roséanne shrugs. "I'm guessing... we could discuss about it a little bit? Gather ideas and then talk to each other about it?" It feels weird--talking to him like this. It was civilised, like what friends would normally do. She finds it uncomfortable and he looks like he's lost, too, but the conversation continues.
"Uh, okay," he scratches his nape. "How and when?"
Shit, she didn't think about this. "I don't know..."
Then, he grins. Roséanne doesn't like it when he grins.
"Do you have something to say to me, Chaeng?" he teases, and by then she already knows what he meant.
Suck your dick, she wants to say, but instead she holds her glass tighter and avoids his stare. "I don't..." she grits her teeth. "I don't think so."
"Really? How are we going to discuss about this party then?" From her side profile, she sees his eyes crinkle. Cute, she thinks, but regrets it after. Stop it, Chaeng.
"I said I don't know."
"You're too smart to not know." Was that an insult or a compliment?
"Can you shut up."
"Not until you say those words."
"We can discuss it through text. There's no need to meet up," she says firmly. It would be hard, but they can do it.
"I don't think we can."
"How?"
"What if I don't have a phone?"
Roséanne sees his phone bulging in his pocket. "It's there."
"But what if I decide to throw it in the toilet after this? What will I use then?"
Jimin is so stupid, no wonder they weren't friends anymore. "Laptop or a computer. Literally anything?"
He rolls his eyes. "Chaeng, you just need to say a few words. You're not going to die."
She can say it, but definitely not to him. Never. But the situation calls for it and she wants everything to be done as soon as possible, so she relents. "Okay, fine."
Jimin smiles proudly. "I'm waiting."
"Let's have dinner together," she says quickly, avoiding eye contact.
"What did you say? I didn't hear."
"I'm not going to say it again."
He walks closer to her, their bodies inches apart. Roséanne's body tensed because of the distance, but her feet remained rooted to the ground.
"What was it?"
She had enough. "We're going to have dinner. That's it."
Roséanne manages to walk away, her heart beating loudly and her mind in a haze.
Fuck you, Park Jimin.